SUSE S.A.

Corporate brand

Unclaimed Read 2× by AI crawlers Request correction

Multinational open-source software company focused on enterprise Linux, Kubernetes, cloud-native infrastructure, and related management tools.

Last updated August 27, 2026

AI crawler reads

2requests

1companies

ByteDance2

Profile: 1
Controversies: 1
JSON · MD: 0

First read: Oct 30, 2026
Latest read: Oct 30, 2026

Since Oct 28, 2026 · from this site's server log

Overview

SUSE S.A. is a multinational open-source software company that develops and sells Linux distributions and enterprise infrastructure software. Its principal commercial platform is SUSE Linux Enterprise, a family of supported operating-system products designed for physical servers, virtual machines, public clouds, mainframes, high-performance computing, and increasingly edge environments. SUSE also sponsors and contributes to openSUSE, a community-oriented Linux project whose Tumbleweed and Leap distributions serve as upstream and community counterparts to parts of the company’s enterprise portfolio. The business was founded in Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 September 1992 by Roland Dyroff, Burchard Steinbild, Hubert Mantel, and Thomas Fehr. The original German name, Gesellschaft für Software und Systementwicklung, was abbreviated as S.u.S.E., referring to software and systems development and also alluding to computer pioneer Konrad Zuse. The company initially combined Unix consulting, technical support, documentation, and distribution of Linux software. Its early products were based on Softlanding Linux System and Slackware; in 1994, the company helped translate Slackware into German and began distributing it on floppy disks and later CDs. It subsequently used the Jurix distribution as a basis for its own Linux system, while Florian La Roche developed YaST, the installation and configuration tool that became one of SUSE Linux’s defining components. SUSE released its first distribution under its own name in 1996. It expanded beyond Germany during the late 1990s, establishing operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Czech Republic, and other markets. The company increasingly concentrated on supported enterprise deployments, introducing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in 2001 and becoming an early commercial Linux provider for mainframe and other specialized architectures. In 2003, the brand was restyled as SUSE, dropping the punctuation from its former name. Ownership changed several times. Novell announced the acquisition of SuSE Linux AG in 2003 for $210 million, completing the transaction in 2004. Under Novell, the company broadened its enterprise positioning and opened more of the development process through the openSUSE Project, announced in 2005. In 2011, Novell’s SUSE business became part of The Attachmate Group. Attachmate later merged with Micro Focus in 2014, making SUSE a distinct business unit within Micro Focus. Micro Focus sold SUSE to an EQT-controlled entity in 2019, restoring its independence as a focused open-source software business. During the 2010s and 2020s, SUSE expanded beyond operating systems through storage, OpenStack, Cloud Foundry, Kubernetes management, and container security. It acquired OpenAttic assets from it-novum, selected HPE OpenStack and Stackato assets, Rancher Labs, and NeuVector. Rancher strengthened SUSE’s Kubernetes-management capabilities, while NeuVector added container-security technology. SUSE completed an initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in May 2021, with EQT retaining a majority stake, but shareholders approved a delisting in November 2023 after a period of share-price weakness and changing ownership plans. The company remains active as an enterprise open-source vendor, serving organizations that need supported Linux, cloud-native management, security, storage, and infrastructure platforms.

History

SUSE began in Nuremberg in 1992 as a small software and systems consultancy founded by Roland Dyroff, Burchard Steinbild, Hubert Mantel, and Thomas Fehr. Its early activities included Unix advice, manuals, support, and distribution of Linux software. The company worked with Slackware founder Patrick Volkerding to produce German-language versions of Slackware and initially distributed the system on many floppy disks. It later used Jurix as a technical foundation, and Florian La Roche’s YaST installer and configuration system became central to SUSE’s own distribution. The first SUSE-branded distribution appeared in 1996. The company expanded internationally in the following years, opening offices in North America and Europe and building a particularly strong position in German-speaking and Nordic markets. Its business model evolved from boxed software and support toward subscriptions and enterprise support. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, introduced in 2001, targeted large organizations and supported multiple processor architectures, including x86, Itanium, IBM mainframes, Power systems, and later ARM and cloud environments. Novell acquired SuSE Linux AG in a transaction announced in 2003 and completed in 2004. The acquisition gave Novell a Linux platform with which to support its transition away from the NetWare operating system. Under Novell, SUSE continued enterprise Linux development while making the community-development process more open. The openSUSE Project was announced in 2005, and SUSE Linux 10.0 was among the first releases to benefit from public testing and broader community participation. YaST was also released under the GPL during this period. Novell’s 2006 agreement with Microsoft sought better Windows-Linux interoperability and included marketing and patent arrangements, but attracted criticism from some free-software advocates. The Attachmate Group acquired Novell in 2011 and operated SUSE as a separate business. Attachmate subsequently merged with Micro Focus in 2014. During this ownership period, SUSE added software-defined storage and expanded its cloud and data-center portfolio. It acquired OpenAttic assets in 2016 and HPE’s OpenStack and Stackato-related assets in 2017. In 2019, Micro Focus sold SUSE to an EQT-controlled company for $2.535 billion, allowing SUSE to operate again as an independent enterprise software business. SUSE then pursued a cloud-native expansion strategy. The acquisition of Rancher Labs, completed in 2020, added a widely used Kubernetes-management platform and brought Rancher co-founder Sheng Liang into SUSE’s engineering leadership. NeuVector, acquired in 2021, added container-security technology. SUSE also went public in Frankfurt in May 2021, but its public-market period ended after shareholders approved a delisting in November 2023. The company continues to develop commercially supported enterprise Linux, Kubernetes, storage, security, and management products, while maintaining a close relationship with the openSUSE community.

2023
Delisting approved
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Shareholders approved the company’s delisting from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
2021
IPO and NeuVector acquisition
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE acquired NeuVector and completed an initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
2020
Rancher acquisition completed
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE completed its acquisition of Rancher Labs, broadening its Kubernetes-management offering.
2019
SUSE returns to independent ownership
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
EQT completed its acquisition of SUSE from Micro Focus for $2.535 billion.
2017
HPE OpenStack and Stackato assets acquired
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE acquired selected HPE cloud-platform assets to expand its IaaS and PaaS portfolio.
2016
OpenAttic assets acquired
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE acquired storage-management assets and incorporated them into its Ceph-oriented storage products.
2014
Micro Focus becomes parent company
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
The Attachmate Group merged with Micro Focus, bringing SUSE into the Micro Focus Group as a dedicated business unit.
2011
Attachmate acquires Novell
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE became a separate business within The Attachmate Group.
2005
openSUSE Project launched
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Novell announced a community-oriented development project for SUSE’s non-commercial Linux distribution.
2004
Novell ownership begins
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Novell completed its acquisition of SuSE Linux AG and operated the Linux business through subsidiaries.
2001
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 7
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE released its initial SUSE Linux Enterprise Server generation for several enterprise processor and mainframe platforms.
2000
Enterprise Linux reaches IBM S/390
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE released an enterprise-oriented Linux product for IBM’s S/390 mainframe platform.
1996
First SUSE-branded distribution
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE Linux 4.2 was released under the company’s own brand, with YaST emerging as a core installation and configuration tool.
1994
German-language Linux distribution work begins
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
SUSE collaborated with Patrick Volkerding on German-language Slackware scripts and distribution.
1992
Company founded in Nuremberg
[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Roland Dyroff, Burchard Steinbild, Hubert Mantel, and Thomas Fehr founded the Software and Systems Development Corporation, later known as SUSE.

Products and positioning

Enterprise open-source infrastructure provider combining commercially supported Linux with Kubernetes, cloud-native, storage, security, and systems-management products.

Enterprise Linux · 2001
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
SUSE’s principal supported server operating system for organizations running physical, virtual, cloud, mainframe, and edge workloads. It is available across processor architectures including x86-64, ARM, IBM Power, and IBM Z-related platforms, and is distributed through subscription, on-demand, and bring-your-own-subscription cloud models.
Community Linux distribution · 2005
openSUSE
A community-supported Linux project sponsored by SUSE. Its Tumbleweed rolling distribution functions as an upstream environment for parts of the SUSE ecosystem, while Leap provides a more stable community distribution with strong technical continuity with SUSE Linux Enterprise.
Systems management
SUSE Manager
A management platform for provisioning, configuring, patching, monitoring, and auditing Linux systems across data centers, cloud environments, and heterogeneous infrastructure.
Software-defined storage
SUSE Enterprise Storage
A Ceph-based software-defined storage platform for scalable object, block, and file storage. SUSE integrated OpenAttic technology to provide graphical administration and monitoring capabilities for storage clusters.
Kubernetes management · 2020
Rancher
A Kubernetes management platform acquired from Rancher Labs. It helps organizations deploy, operate, secure, and govern Kubernetes clusters across on-premises infrastructure, public clouds, and edge locations.
Container security · 2021
SUSE NeuVector
A container-security platform obtained through SUSE’s acquisition of NeuVector. It addresses security across the container lifecycle, including discovery, network policy, runtime protection, and compliance-oriented controls.

Controversies

2006
Controversy over the Microsoft interoperability agreement
SUSE’s agreement with Microsoft concerning interoperability, cross-promotion, and patent cross-licensing was criticized by some free-software advocates, who raised concerns about patent implications and unequal treatment of Linux users.
Source

2023
Approve Frankfurt Stock Exchange delistingStrategy
Background
SUSE faced a declining share price and weaker sales trends after its 2021 public listing.
Action taken
An extraordinary general meeting approved delisting the company from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
SUSE continued as an active enterprise software company under EQT ownership outside the public market.
Source
2021
Acquire NeuVectorM&A
Background
SUSE was expanding from Linux and infrastructure management into cloud-native security.
Action taken
It acquired NeuVector for cash and stock in a transaction reported at $130 million.
Aftermath
NeuVector technology was added to SUSE’s container-security portfolio.
Transaction value. $130 million (2021 acquisition announcement)
Source
2020
Acquire Rancher LabsM&A
Background
Kubernetes adoption was expanding across enterprise infrastructure, creating demand for centralized cluster management.
Action taken
SUSE agreed to and completed the acquisition of Rancher Labs.
Aftermath
Rancher became a central component of SUSE’s cloud-native and Kubernetes strategy, and Sheng Liang joined SUSE’s engineering leadership.
Source
2005
Open the SUSE development processStrategy
Background
Novell sought to build a broader community around the non-commercial SUSE Linux distribution while retaining a commercially supported enterprise product.
Action taken
It announced the openSUSE Project and introduced public testing and community participation in development.
Aftermath
openSUSE became the community-facing project associated with SUSE, with Tumbleweed and Leap developing alongside the enterprise product family.
Source

Recent events

2023
SUSE appoints Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen as CEO[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Leadership change
The company appointed Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen as chief executive amid declining sales trends and pressure on its share price.
2023
SUSE shareholders approve delisting[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Other
An extraordinary general meeting approved the company’s delisting from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
2021
SUSE acquires NeuVector[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A
SUSE acquired container-security provider NeuVector in a transaction reported at $130 million in cash and stock.
2021
SUSE completes Frankfurt Stock Exchange IPO[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Other
SUSE began trading in Frankfurt at an original issue price of €30 per share, with EQT retaining a majority stake.
2020
SUSE agrees to acquire Rancher Labs[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A
SUSE announced a deal to acquire Kubernetes-management company Rancher Labs; the transaction closed later that year.
2019
EQT acquires SUSE from Micro Focus[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A
Micro Focus sold its SUSE business to an EQT-controlled entity for $2.535 billion.
2017
SUSE completes HPE OpenStack and Stackato asset acquisition[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A
The transaction expanded SUSE’s infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service capabilities.
2016
SUSE acquires OpenAttic assets[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A · Product launch
SUSE acquired storage-management assets from it-novum and integrated OpenAttic capabilities into SUSE Enterprise Storage.
2011
SUSE and Microsoft renew interoperability agreement[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
Other
The companies renewed an agreement concerning interoperability, joint marketing, and patent cross-licensing; the arrangement remained controversial in parts of the free-software community.
2011
Attachmate Group completes Novell acquisition[1]SUSE S.A.en.wikipedia.org
M&A
SUSE became a stand-alone business within the Attachmate Group.

Showing the 10 most recent.

Sources19 sources

Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/suse-sa · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled